1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling inclined angle of an AV(Audio/Video) front panel for automobile, and, more particularly, to an apparatus for controlling inclined angle of an AV front panel for automobile which is additionally equipped with means for opening and closing the front panel employing a mechanical link device so as to enable the front panel to be varied in the inclined angle and to be opened and closed, thereby improving its visual recognition, and which employs two deck mechanisms to load and unload a recording medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is commonly known, a car audio set, which is mounted on an automobile, in general has an integrated combination of a radio receiving set for giving radio broadcast service and a cassette player for playing back a cassette tape, and which is positioned at a portion ahead of a driver to allowing the driver to manipulate it with ease even though the driver is in the driving state.
This type of car audio set is in recent years developed into an integrated combination with a compact disc player for playing back data such as music data recorded on a compact disk with high quality.
Furthermore, it is also necessary to set up a display screen of a car navigation system inside an automobile, which is intended to give a driver information for guiding him to his destination while the driver is driving and listening information from the car audio set.
Therefore, the front panel of a conventional car audio set is equipped with a liquid crystal display, and a cassette player, a compact disc player of a car audio, or a combination of both players is installed inside the front panel such that a driver can control an inclined angle of the front panel into a desired angle while looking the liquid crystal display screen and can load or unload a cassette tape into the cassette player.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, this type of apparatus for controlling the front panel of a car audio set has a depression 1B formed on a side of the back surface of the front panel 1. The depression is provided at its bottom side with an opening groove 1A.
An escutcheon 2, to which the front panel 1 is coupled, is provided with a projecting bar 5A intended to be inserted into the depression 1B.
A projecting stem 5, which is connected to the projecting bar 5A, is provided at the back surface such that the projecting bar 5A is capable of hinge movement from side to side. The hinge movement of the projecting bar 5A can be achieved by a pusher 4 in such a way that the pusher 4 is in close contact with and presses the projecting stem 5 against elasticity of a spring 6. The front panel 1 is placed in front of the escutcheon 2 with the depression 1B joined to the escutcheon, so that the front panel 1 is connected to a main body to enable the driver to use the car audio set.
When it is necessary to uncouple the front panel from the main body, a release knob 3, which is provided at a side of the front surface for the front panel 1, is pushed into the front panel 1, and then a pin 3A connected to the release knob 3A is protruded from the back surface of the front panel 1 to press the pusher 4. With the pusher 4 being pressed, the projecting bar 5A is moved toward the opening groove 1A against the elasticity of the spring 6, so that the projecting bar 5A is released from the opening groove 1A, thereby allowing the front panel 1 to be uncoupled from the escutcheon 2.
Since the above-mentioned coupling apparatus is however constructed such that the front panel 1 is coupled to the escutcheon 2 by means of only one projecting bar 5A, the front panel 1 coupled to the escutcheon 2 is vibrated owing to the unstable coupling while driving a car. When the vibration is very intensive, the front panel 1 is separated from the escutcheon 2 drops to the bottom surface of the automobile, thereby causing the front panel 1 to be damaged or the driver to be unsettled. Since fitting components placed at the back surface of the escutcheon 2 are also made from metal material, it is required to carry out press working in manufacturing of the components, thereby causing its production cost to be increased. In addition to that, since it is required to fasten the components by screws one by one, working efficiency comes down.
In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems, an apparatus for coupling detachably a front panel of a car audio set has been suggested in Korean Patent No. 20-147220 issued on Mar. 8, 1999, in which a front panel is coupled at its both sides to an escutcheon by action of a coupling unit having two engaging protrusions being fitted in the escutcheon, so that the front panel can be stably mounted on the escutcheon, thereby preventing vibration of the front panel during driving of the automobile having the coupling unit. Furthermore, the Korean patent has advantage in that the coupling unit is formed of plastic material, thereby cutting back on its production cost.
Referring to FIG. 2 showing the Korean patent, upon pushing a release knob 13 disposed on the front panel 11, a motor 14 rotates in one direction to transmit its driving force to gears 15, 16 engaged with each other.
Then, a rack 17, which is engaged with the gear 16, is moved forward by the rotation of the gear 16, causing a slide plate 18 having the rack 17 to be slide forward, so that the inclined angle of the front panel 11 can be controlled depending on the slide movement of the slide plate 18 within the range of an angle control 9.
When the release knob 13 is again pushed, i.e. turned on in the outermost state of the front panel 11, the motor 14 rotates in the reverse direction to retract the slide plate 18, thereby causing the front panel 11 to be closed.
However, the above-mentioned conventional AV front panel for automobile has problems in that since the above structure is limited in the spatial expanding range, the car audio set having the front panel can employ only one type of recording medium, and thus the car audio set must depend on input of another external player when another recording medium is played back.